The many uses of the Lignum Vitae

I love the Plumbago and the Lignum Vitae flowers because they are the few plants with blue flowers that bloom on the hot Liguanea Plains on which the city of Kingston lies. You have to travel to the cool hills to find the Forget-me-not or Blue Iris. The Lignum Vitae is our National Flower and it blooms profusely twice per year.

The hard and dense wood from this slow-growing tree has been used here to make mortars and pestles for crushing spices, they can be seen at jerk centres and in kitchens as chopping boards, and sculptors use it for wood carvings. In fact, participants in the Mighty Gully Youth Project founded in 1982 near Old Harbour by master wood sculptor, the late Lancelot Bryan, make magnificent pieces and have the distinction of having been commissioned to create gifts for visiting dignitaries, namely Prince Charles and the late Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingston, and Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa.

We are pleased to have one piece in our collection.

According to Wikipedia, the wood of the Lignum Vitae has been used in the shipping and railroad industries, in hydro-electric plants, for bearings and gears in pendulum clocks and as a lap in the process of cutting gems. In sports, it is used in making heavy balls for cricket, skittles and croquet, and for security, for police batons.

I missed last year's news that Jamaica's National Flower can fight HIV, but it is certainly worth repeating. As Dr Henry Lowe continues his research and development, we look forward to him taking this cure to the many in Jamaica and around the world who suffer from this disease.